Showdown

Keeping the Faith

Best religious characters in film

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Which rebel hearts do you think of in the little hours? Which sister’s act do you love the most? Who is your man for all seasons? This Showdown is a roundup of your ten best badass priests, naughty novitiates, saints with secrets, racy rabbis, mysterious ministers, vicious vicars, magical monks, Nazi-busting nuns. Whether you’re Team Brian or Team Benedetta, break the seventh seal and throw the spotlight on religious characters who go well beyond the job description to keep the keys of the kingdom. (No deities, gods or kami—we want earth-bound characters, real or fictional.)

Most mentioned

  • First Reformed
  • The Exorcist
  • Silence
  • The Night of the Hunter
  • There Will Be Blood
  • Life of Brian
  • The Passion of Joan of Arc
  • The Seventh Seal
  • Sister Act
  • Doubt
  • The Prince of Egypt
  • The Devils
  • Calvary
  • Black Narcissus
  • Ida
  • Dogma
  • The Sound of Music
  • The Blues Brothers
  • Winter Light
  • The Two Popes

Lists

Sort by
  • The Night of the Hunter
  • There Will Be Blood
  • A Serious Man
  • First Reformed
  • Calvary
Sarah

Sarah 10 films

  • The Prince of Egypt
  • First Reformed
  • Hacksaw Ridge
  • Signs
  • The Others
89liam_is_fine

89liam_is_fine 7 films

  • Benedetta
  • Black Narcissus
  • The Little Hours
  • Viridiana
  • The Nun's Story
Angelo Cordeiro

Angelo Cordeiro 10 films

  • The Exorcist
  • The Passion of Joan of Arc
  • The Night of the Hunter
  • The Witch
  • Black Narcissus
Mariana Simas

Mariana Simas 20 films

  • Yentl
  • The Sound of Music
  • The Little Hours
sarahmilan

sarahmilan 3 films

  • Going My Way
  • The Bishop's Wife
  • Black Narcissus
  • Winter Light
  • Becket
Orion Anderson

Orion Anderson 10 films

  • Religulous
king coppolino

king coppolino 1 film

  • Saint Maud
  • Pulp Fiction
  • Midnight Mass
  • mother!
  • Midsommar
stylocs

stylocs 15 films

  • The Shawshank Redemption
  • Fanny and Alexander
  • Pulp Fiction
  • Schindler's List
  • The Empire Strikes Back
Glitterboiii

Glitterboiii 10 films

  • mother!
  • The Witch
  • First Reformed
  • Midsommar
  • The Prince of Egypt
carolina

carolina 10 films

  • The Nun's Story
  • Priest Daens
  • Priest
  • Don Camillo
  • The Exorcist
kierstonwoodley

kierstonwoodley 15 films

  • The Prince of Egypt
  • Silence
  • mother!
  • Doubt
  • The Exorcist
David McGuff

David McGuff 10 films

  • The Night of the Hunter
  • First Reformed
  • The Wicker Man
  • The Exorcist
  • Saint Maud
Thom Robinson

Thom Robinson 10 films

  • The Nun's Story
  • The Prince of Egypt
  • Hacksaw Ridge
  • The Little Hours
  • Assassin's Creed
Andrew

Andrew 5 films

  • Diary of a Country Priest
  • The Mission
  • A Man for All Seasons
  • The Trouble with Angels
  • Black Narcissus
Sam Holdren

Sam Holdren 18 films

  • Ida
  • The Night of the Hunter
  • Crimes of Passion
  • The VelociPastor
  • The Three Musketeers
Stephen Hanson

Stephen Hanson 13 films

  • Winter Light
  • Silence
  • First Reformed
  • A Touch of Zen
  • The Night of the Hunter
Tong Pak Fu

Tong Pak Fu 15 films

  • First Reformed
  • Silence
  • A Clockwork Orange
  • Midsommar
  • The Devils
KinoDani

KinoDani 19 films

  • The Prince of Egypt
  • Rebel Hearts
  • Sister Act
  • The Sound of Music
  • Corpus Christi
Julia ✨

Julia ✨ 10 films

  • Goya's Ghosts
  • Doubt
  • O Santo Milagroso
  • Irmã Dulce
  • Baptism of Blood
Guilherme Simões Reis

Guilherme Simões Reis 12 films

  • Black Robe
  • Silence
  • The Bear
  • Shogun
  • The Revenant
lyrelyrebird

lyrelyrebird 6 films

  • The Passion of Joan of Arc
  • The Wicker Man
  • Airplane!
  • There Will Be Blood
  • Magnolia
CuidadoDoySpoilers

CuidadoDoySpoilers 7 films

  • Paradise: Faith
  • Life of Pi
  • Fanny and Alexander
  • Signs
  • Minari
filmplanet

filmplanet 10 films

  • The Night of the Hunter
  • The Seventh Seal
  • Life of Brian
  • Sister Act
  • The Boondock Saints
kjkirk

kjkirk 10 films

  • Spotlight
  • Priest
  • By the Grace of God
  • Saved!
  • First Reformed
Nichtsbesondern

Nichtsbesondern 9 films

  • The Passion of Joan of Arc
  • Diary of a Country Priest
  • Simon of the Desert
  • My Night at Maud's
  • The Wicker Man
Adam

Adam 10 films

  • Life of Brian
  • The Passion of Joan of Arc
  • The Burmese Harp
  • The Blues Brothers
  • Andrei Rublev
AronDanburg

AronDanburg 10 films

  • The Name of the Rose
  • The Night of the Hunter
  • On the Waterfront
  • Catch-22
  • Dogma
Davormkd

Davormkd 10 films

  • The Exorcist
  • Silence
  • First Reformed
  • The Passion of Joan of Arc
  • Signs
Daniel Charchuk

Daniel Charchuk 25 films

  • Spotlight
  • Carrie
  • Life of Brian
  • Constantine
  • Medusa
Adam William

Adam William 10 films

  • Raiders of the Lost Ark
  • The Night of the Hunter
  • The Exorcist III
  • The Crucible
  • The Omen
PretendArtist 💀🎥

PretendArtist 💀🎥 6 films

  • The Seventh Seal
  • Lars and the Real Girl
  • Malcolm X
  • Se7en
  • The Green Knight
hamidrg2000

hamidrg2000 12 films

  • Monty Python and the Holy Grail
  • The Exorcist
  • Star Wars: The Last Jedi
  • Life of Brian
  • First Reformed
Lívia Mello

Lívia Mello 10 films

  • mother!
  • Wings of Desire
  • The Exorcist
  • Dead Man Walking
  • Priest
Troy Cornett

Troy Cornett 10 films

  • Hacksaw Ridge
  • Gandhi
  • Spotlight
  • There Will Be Blood
  • The Exorcist
Mark Loebus

Mark Loebus 10 films

  • Diary of a Country Priest
  • The Holy Mountain
  • The Passion of Joan of Arc
  • The Master
  • Doubt
martinmo

martinmo 10 films

  • Agnes of God
  • The Devils
  • Machete
  • Four Weddings and a Funeral
  • Hot Fuzz
GonDaddy

GonDaddy 10 films

  • Sister Act
  • The Devil All the Time
  • Jeannette: The Childhood of Joan of Arc
  • The Little Hours
  • Contact
walkermargaret

walkermargaret 7 films

  • The Sound of Music
  • The Bells of St. Mary's
  • Going My Way
  • The Miracle Woman
  • The Nun's Story
Suzanne Scherrer

Suzanne Scherrer 7 films

  • Saint Maud
  • First Reformed
  • The Exorcist
  • The Vigil
  • Silence
Kate 🎃⚰️

Kate 🎃⚰️ 10 films

  • A Hidden Life
  • First Reformed
  • Romeo + Juliet
  • The Crime of Padre Amaro
  • The Night of the Hunter
Morgan

Morgan 10 films

  • The Night of the Hunter
  • Rome, Open City
  • The Sacrifice
  • First Reformed
  • The Master
Shane Rector

Shane Rector 30 films

  • The Exorcist
  • Braindead
  • The Blues Brothers
  • Dogma
  • Sister Act
tromafiend

tromafiend 22 films

  • Benedetta
  • The Blues Brothers
  • Braindead
  • Carrie
  • The Exorcist III
Nate MS

Nate MS 10 films

  • Bad Lieutenant
  • Paradise: Faith
  • Constantine
  • In Bruges
  • Lady Bird
Atlanta_Books

Atlanta_Books 10 films

  • Ponette
  • Lourdes
  • Silence
  • Of Gods and Men
  • Marketa Lazarová
FabianGraf

FabianGraf 10 films

  • The Sound of Music
  • Doubt
  • Silence
  • Calvary
  • Benedetta
Kyle Bailey

Kyle Bailey 10 films

  • Viridiana
  • The Club
  • Sleepers
  • The Crime of Padre Amaro
  • Disobedience
Iggnacio

Iggnacio 20 films

  • Keeping the Faith
  • The Blues Brothers
  • Signs
  • The Apostle
  • The Sound of Music
dadgumblah

dadgumblah 10 films

  • The Execution of Joan of Arc
  • Joan of Arc
  • Joan the Woman
  • The Passion of Joan of Arc
  • Saint Joan the Maid
MaxiKing

MaxiKing 18 films

  • Robin Hood
  • The Prince of Egypt
  • Midnight Mass
  • The Conjuring
  • Hacksaw Ridge
Phill Hill

Phill Hill 10 films

  • First Reformed
  • The Good Lord Bird
  • Silence
  • There Will Be Blood
  • The Last Temptation of Christ
Piper Sines

Piper Sines 17 films

  • Andrei Rublev
  • Life of Brian
  • The Seventh Seal
  • The Wicker Man
  • The Exorcist
deathmaumau

deathmaumau 10 films

  • The Exorcist
  • Sister Act
  • The Sound of Music
  • The Nun
  • A River Runs Through It
Robert Shupe

Robert Shupe 10 films

  • First Reformed
  • The Exorcist
  • Silence
  • The Night of the Hunter
  • There Will Be Blood
Letterboxd

Letterboxd 20 films

  • First Reformed
  • The Exorcist
  • Silence
  • The Night of the Hunter
  • There Will Be Blood
Michael Lamb

Michael Lamb 20 films

  • Benedetta
  • Satan's Children
  • Breaking the Waves
  • The Nun
  • The Demons
Rach

Rach 48 films

  • The Big Lebowski
  • The Blues Brothers
  • The Exorcist
  • Spotlight
  • The Hunchback of Notre Dame
maxsoderstromof

maxsoderstromof 12 films

  • The Book of Eli
  • First Reformed
  • Benedetta
  • The Master
  • Silence
Hunter Goebel

Hunter Goebel 10 films

  • First Reformed
  • The Exorcist
  • Silence
  • The Night of the Hunter
  • There Will Be Blood
Marta Gœtt

Marta Gœtt 20 films

  • Babette's Feast
  • Dune
  • Jane Eyre
  • M*A*S*H
  • Schindler's List
Clarissa Thorne

Clarissa Thorne 34 films

  • First Reformed
  • The Exorcist
  • The Boondock Saints
  • The Name of the Rose
  • Dogma
Stefan

Stefan 11 films

  • The VelociPastor
  • Hunt for the Wilderpeople
  • Seven Psychopaths
  • Bulletproof Monk
  • Signs
Travis LaBrucherie

Travis LaBrucherie 10 films

  • Alucarda
  • Silver Bullet
  • The Wicker Man
  • The Name of the Rose
  • The Passion of Joan of Arc
HERNERWERZ0G

HERNERWERZ0G 10 films

  • Ordet
  • Stalker
  • Andrei Rublev
  • Winter Light
  • The Prince of Egypt
JonbaRal

JonbaRal 10 films

  • Going My Way
  • Doubt
  • Black Narcissus
  • I Confess
  • Oh, God!
user543221

user543221 8 films

  • Sister Act
  • The Sound of Music
  • The Wicker Man
  • Midsommar
  • National Theatre Live: Fleabag
mxjoda

mxjoda 17 films

  • The Exorcist
  • The Mission
  • The Devils
  • Black Narcissus
  • The Sound of Music
mhcope3

mhcope3 13 films

  • Ben-Hur
  • Léon Morin, Priest
  • Little Boy
  • Dead Man Walking
  • Ordet
John

John 54 films

  • A Hidden Life
  • Benedetta
  • Black Narcissus
  • The Devils
  • Doubt
Sam Herbst

Sam Herbst 11 films

  • The Exorcist
  • The Seventh Seal
  • Calvary
  • The Passion of Joan of Arc
  • Silence
Connor McKenna

Connor McKenna 10 films

  • Mr. Vampire
  • The Day of the Beast
  • The Devil Rides Out
  • The Exorcist
  • The Devils
Oily Maniac

Oily Maniac 10 films

  • First Reformed
  • The Passion of Joan of Arc
  • There Will Be Blood
  • The Wild Pear Tree
  • The Master
cococeva

cococeva 10 films

  • Diary of a Country Priest
  • Calvary
  • The Exorcist
  • Angels of Sin
  • First Reformed
andy d

andy d 10 films

  • Dogma
  • Signs
  • Doubt
  • A Man for All Seasons
  • Breaking the Waves
Mike Roe

Mike Roe 10 films

  • Life of Brian
  • Dogma
  • The Two Missionaries
  • Don Camillo
  • The Passion of the Christ
Quittiie

Quittiie 10 films

  • First Reformed
  • A Hidden Life
  • Midsommar
  • Midnight Mass
  • Devs
Totenkindly

Totenkindly 10 films

  • The Godfather
  • There Will Be Blood
  • The Big Lebowski
calebhaha

calebhaha 3 films

  • The Passion of Joan of Arc
  • The Wicker Man
  • The Night of the Hunter
  • The Last Temptation of Christ
  • The Seventh Seal
le_cygne

le_cygne 10 films

  • Life of Brian
  • Corpus Christi
  • The Exorcist
  • The Seventh Seal
  • There Will Be Blood
Tomasz Jankiewicz

Tomasz Jankiewicz 8 films

Still from Monsignor (1982)